Enel, Simest to develop Palo Viejo hydro project in Guatemala

Italy's Enel Green Power has partnered with Italian overseas business promotion company Simest to develop the 84-MW Palo Viejo hydro project in Guatemala, wire services reported.

The 185 million euro (US$227 million) run-of-river hydro project will produce 370 GWh per year and displace 280,000 tons of CO2 emissions, Enel said in a statement.

The Palo Viejo hydro project will use water from the Cotzal River.

Although a development timetable was not provided, Business News Americas reported previously that construction would take 32 months.

In other news, Chilean utility Compania General de Electricidad S.A. (CGE) plans to begin construction this year on its 136-MW Nuble run-of-river hydro project, which could put the hydropower project on schedule for completion in 2013, project developers told wire services.

Environmental regulators approved the hydropower project in October 2008, and construction had been slated to begin in 2009.